Amazon Fire Kids Edition (Late 2015) Tablet Review

Family Fire. A thick protective cover, two-year worry-free warranty and a one-year subscription to "Amazon FreeTime Unlimited" is to make Amazon's cheapest Fire tablet suitable for children 3+ years with the Kids Edition. Parents will likely find the device interesting primarily for its reasonable price of 120 Euros (~$131).

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Amazon's new tablet, plainly called "Fire Kids Edition," follows in the footsteps of the Kindle Fire HD 6 Kids Edition that we tested last August. The latest model carries the new Fire OS 5 operating system and a larger 7-inch screen. However, its resolution of 1024x600 pixels is very low. In return, Amazon demands 30 Euros (~$32) less with 120 Euros (~$131) for the review sample than for the already fairly low-priced predecessor. Our review sample of the Kids Edition costs 45 Euros (~$49) more than the base model, which is available for a price starting at 60 Euros (~$65) with ads also on the lock screen.

The review sample will have to compete with some considerably more expensive models since only few, such low-priced rivals exist in our database. We also use the former Fire HD 6 and the slightly bigger Fire HD 8 for comparison.

Case

The protective case included for the Kids Edition is made of solid yet flexible plastic that makes a very durable impression. Unfortunately, it very evidently starts to smell like new sports shoes after a few days. The material also exhibits slightly inexactly processed edges in some places, which will hardly bother children.

Without the bumper, the Fire tablet's low price of the base device becomes obvious in view of the materials used for the casing. The fingers only feel roughened hard plastic that does not convey the impression of grip despite the surface texture and is also relatively prone to scratching. The narrow, evenly spaced gaps are positive, though.

The device is certainly not light with a weight of 407 grams with the bumper. However, it is pleasant to hold thanks to its favorable shape and non-slip materials. On the other hand, the tablet's stiffness is disappointing: Moderate pressure on the back or slight twisting lead to very visible content distortions with and without the protective casing. It is also possible to make random inputs this way. Not very trustworthy cracking accompanies these effects. More could be expected here especially considering its purpose as a tablet for children.

Connectivity

It becomes evident that the device is a very low-cost model when looking at the technical configuration. The quad-core SoC can only fall back on a tight 1 GB of working memory, and only approximately 4.7 GB of storage is left for apps and media files in delivery state. However, the micro-SD slot that supports cards with up to 128 GB compensates for that to some degree. It is practical that suitable apps are installed on the external memory card directly by default.

The incorporated micro-USB 2.0 port supports USB OTG for connecting peripherals; NFC or a vibration motor for tactile feedback is not installed.

Software

Like in all Amazon devices, the operating system installed on the Fire Kids Edition is Fire OS. However, the just recently released Version 5, which is based on Android Lollipop, has been modified profoundly. It now features a revised home screen that resembles the classic app drawer of Android devices. It displays all installed programs clearly arranged in a vertical scroll list. Horizontal swiping switches to other screens that, for example, enable directly accessing Amazon services such as the Kindle bookstore or instant video. An overview of recently used apps also fades in on the home screen's left after using the device for the first time. Overall, the system is intuitive and swift to use. Amazon updated the tablet's Fire OS 5.0.1 to version 5.1.1 during the test, which also brings the new read mode "Blue Shade" among other features. The operating system tries to filter out the largest part of blue tones when it is enabled. That allegedly leads to a more restful sleep after evening use.

It is generally evident that the software is focused on Amazon's universe. Users who have bought a lot of content there or have a Prime membership can access media content, such as books, movies and music without much effort. Google services, such as the Play Store standard on Android devices, are not pre-loaded. Amazon relies on its own app shop. It, however, lags slightly behind the competition's offered program diversity.

Kids Profiles

Like in other Fire devices, up to four child profiles can be set up in the review sample. It provides a multitude of options for managing the children's interaction possibilities. For example, the user can choose specific apps, books and YouTube videos. Since recently, it is also basically possible to limit browsing time on predefined websites. If preferred, the user can also review lists of child-appropriate content provided by Amazon. Additionally, the time of use can be set individually. Audio files and Amazon Prime video content, unfortunately, cannot be enabled for child profiles.

A twelve-month subscription of the additional "FreeTime Unlimited," which allows accessing child-appropriate eBooks, movies, games and educational apps, is also included. However, payments are due after the expiration date if the subscription is not canceled.

Communication & GPS

The review sample accesses the Internet via Wi-Fi in the 2.4 GHz band. The 5 GHz frequency range cannot be utilized. The module makes a useful impression in our test. The reception is throughout stable and on par with comparable devices. Wireless near field communication is also possible via Bluetooth 4.0.

A GPS receiver is not incorporated. Users who also want to navigate with their tablet will have to look for another device.

Cameras & Multimedia

Front camera (click for original)

Primary camera (click for original)

Like the predecessor, the Kindle Kids Edition has a rear-facing 2-megapixel primary camera and a 0.3-megapixel webcam on the front. Their data do not give much hope for a good photo quality. Consequently, it is not very surprising that the results of both cameras are not compelling. The photos look relatively blurry even in daylight. Sometimes, annoying color fringing (scene 1) is noticed. It becomes obvious where Amazon made cutbacks here. However, the results should still be satisfactory for a child's first photography attempts.

It looks similar with video recordings. Although they can be created in HD quality (1280x720 pixels), the device's general resolution weakness also becomes evident here. The front-facing webcam only records videos in VGA (640x480 pixels), which results in a very small, noisy image. It is positive in both cases that a relatively smooth recording is produced at least in daylight - a very clear stuttering quickly becomes apparent in the recording indoors.

The camera software does not provide settings for ISO sensitivity, exposure corrections not to mention effect filters. However, HDR and panorama photos can be made.

Image Comparison

Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the zoom step. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.

Sharpness

We made a screenshot of our test chart in artificial light for a better verdict of the tablet's camera quality. Besides the low resolution, blurriness that covers the entire image is evident even in a scaled-down reproduction. Color fringing is again visible at the edges.

Amazon Fire Kids Edition

Apple iPhone 6S

Honor 7

OnePlus 2

Accessories

In addition to a 5-watt charger (1 A, 5 V), the Fire Kids Edition is shipped with the aforementioned blue protection case made of durable plastic. The included USB cable is a bit short with a length of approximately 70 centimeters.

Warranty

While Amazon only includes a one-year warranty on the basic Fire tablet, the Kids Edition comes with a two-year "worry-free warranty." According to Amazon, it covers all thinkable damages, and the device will be replaced for free in case of a defect.

Input Devices & Handling

Amazon's Fire keyboard is identical with Google's stock keyboard with some minor exceptions. All important features can be accessed quite quickly, but swipe inputting is unfortunately not supported.

It is pleasing that the fingers can glide smoothly over the keyboard when making inputs. However, inputs were only implemented very unreliably in some areas on the screen's right edge.

All physical keys - power button and volume rocker - are on the device's upper edge when held in portrait mode. The silver-colored elements feature a good pressure point but have some play in the casing. They also vanish into deep cavities when the included bumper is used, which affects the ease of use slightly.

Keyboard: vertical

Keyboard: horizontal

Display

Subpixel arrangement

Amazon furnishes the review sample with an IPS panel that has a relatively low resolution of 1024x600 pixels (170 PPI). While the screen actually presents a 16:9 aspect ratio due to its physical dimensions, the resolution sooner corresponds to an aspect ratio of 17:10. Thus, displayed content is always compressed in one direction, which is particularly visible in circular elements. At the same time, narrow black bars above and below 16:9 videos evolve due to the somewhat deviating resolution.

The screen's brightness is not compelling, either. The review sample is the taillight among the comparison devices in terms of maximum brightness on a completely white surface. However, the assessment when bright and dark areas are distributed equally over the screen (Average Picture Level/APL) is more significant, which leads to the same outcome in this case. The Fire's screen contrast ratio of 535:1 is similarly below average. Solely Google's two-year-old Nexus 7 undercuts it. The tablet does not have a brightness sensor. The afterglow of bright image elements was also noticed unfavorably and was, for example, well-visible when using the main menu in the child profile in the test.

Amazon's tablet does not do a good job in color accuracy, either. Average DeltaE rates of 8.47 (colors) and 9.98 (grayscale) are unusually bad for an IPS panel. However, it is positive that the gamma rate of 2.33 is quite close to the ideal of 2.2.

ColorChecker

Saturation Sweeps

Grayscale

Colorspace

The screen's relatively low brightness is noticed unfavorably when used outdoors. The screen would have to have a higher brightness to outshine the reflections. Outdoor use is still conditionally possible when a viewing angle with the least possible amount of reflections is found under cloudy skies.

Thanks to the installed IPS technology, displayed content does not invert in flat viewing angles. However, a loss in brightness as well as a decrease in brightness due to the brightening of dark image areas evolves in these situations (IPS glow effect).

Screen in outdoor use

Viewing angles

Performance

The Mediatek MT8127 inside the Fire Kids Edition is an entry-level SoC that is based on four Cortex A7 cores clocked at 1.3 GHz each. A Mali 450-MP4 graphics unit is responsible for video output. Our various benchmarks confirm that the performance of this solution is not particularly high. The tablet mostly ends up in last place here. It can only slightly outperform Acer's Iconia Tab 10 A3-A20 based on the same processor occasionally. The memory tests look much better. The review sample scores unusually well here and even defeats the more expensive Fire HD 8.

Despite the SoC's middling performance, the system based on the latest Fire OS version usually responds quickly and mostly lag-free. Browsing with the incorporated Silk browser is possible without significant restrictions subjectively. However, the time needed for closing larger apps or switching a child's profile might be perceived as very long.

Games

The integrated Mali 450-MP4 GPU finds its limits in graphics-demanding games like Real Racing 3 despite the screen's low resolution. However, these kinds of games can generally be rendered even if occasional stutters are noticed. Games with lower hardware requirements, such as Angry Birds, run absolutely lag-free.

Emissions

Temperature

The Fire Kids Edition shows its best side in the temperature tests. The device only heats up moderately during permanent load with at most 42.3 °C. That is also only reached in single places - the largest part of the casing's surface even remains considerably cooler.

It is all the more pleasing that the SoC does not throttle its performance during permanent load in GFXBench's battery test.

Speaker

Although the review sample's mono speaker is situated on the rear, the Kids Edition's bumper redirects the sound towards the sides. The sound is absolutely acceptable even if neither the maximum volume nor the sound quality can compete with rivals furnished with stereo speakers. The device primarily scores with the good intelligibility of dialogs when watching videos in a quiet surrounding.

Playing music via the incorporated headphone jack proves impeccable. The sound did not demonstrate any deficiencies or static.

Energy Management

Power Consumption

The review sample's power consumption benefits to some extent from its relatively weak SoC. It does a better job under load than its predecessor that we criticized in this regard. It even defeats the comparison devices based on stronger components in most tests. The older Kindle Fire HD 6 only has an edge in idle mode in some cases, and HP's Stream 7 Windows tablet also presents overall better outcomes. Nevertheless, the power consumption could be somewhat lower in view of the middling performance of the components installed in the review sample.

Battery Runtime

The review sample can clearly outrun both the predecessor as well as the more expensive Fire HD 8 with a battery runtime of over eight hours in the real-world Wi-Fi test. Although top models like Apple's iPad Mini 4 last longer in some cases, the Fire Kids Edition nevertheless presents good endurance that should ensure sufficient runtimes for recreational use.

The included power supply fully recharges the depleted battery in approximately 3 hours and 11 minutes.

Cons

Verdict

In review: Amazon Fire Kids Edition. Courtesy of Amazon Germany.

Amazon's Fire Kids Edition is - like touted - in fact a "full-featured" tablet. However, the low starting price involves some compromises. The screen is not convincing despite IPS technology, and the cameras will also only satisfy very low expectations. Beyond that, cutbacks are also noticed in the casing: Its only middling rigidness is not compelling, and the used materials do not make a high-quality impression. The latter is rather secondary since the Kids Edition is shipped with a durable protective case. On the pro side we find the option of expanding the storage via a micro-SD card and the extensive 2-year warranty.

The listed shortcomings will not be very significant seeing that the device is specifically tailored for children. The Fire can therefore primarily score with the extensively configurable child profiles and the free, one-year "FreeTime Unlimited" subscription. It is also positive that Amazon does not fade in ads on the present Kids Edition - unlike in the former generation.

The buyer gets a tablet that allows children to make their first experiences with technology in an environment designed just for them at a price of 120 Euros (~$131). However, users willing to waive the bumper, extended warranty and the one-year "FreeTime Unlimited" subscription can order a technically identical Fire tablet for approximately 75 Euros (~$81) less.